「精致穷」的英文可以是exquisite poverty,exquisite为形容词,指的是「精致的、细腻的、优雅的」,poverty则是「贫穷」,或者也可以用exquisite and poor lifestyle来形容这样的人,例如:Brendon lives an exquisite and poor lifestyle. Despite his limited income, he is still keen on buying luxurious goods and dining at fancy restaurants.(布兰登过着精致穷的生活方式。尽管他的收入有限,他仍热衷于购买奢侈品和在高档餐厅用餐。)
另外,国外并没有「月光族」这个词汇,但是月光族是指那些收入只能够维持当前生活水平,无法进行储蓄和投资的人,或是收到薪水后迅速花费掉大部分的钱,而导致月底入不敷出的人,因此可以用live from paycheck to paycheck来表示。 paycheck是指薪水,尤其国外通常是以支票的形式来支付员工薪水,如果你每个月总是花完薪水,等着下个月的支票进帐才能存活下去,你就是如假包换的月光族啰!请看例句:Emma can barely save any money because she has to live from paycheck to paycheck to cover her monthly expenses.(艾玛几乎存不到什么钱,因为她是月光族,薪水只够支付每个月的开销)。
最后补充两个单字,分别用来表示花钱方式像天平两端的人,一种是花钱如流水、挥霍无度的人:spendthrift(败家子),另一种是一毛不拔的人:tightwad(吝啬鬼、守财奴、铁公鸡)。有趣的是,虽然thrift现今常用的意思为节约、节俭,但是spendthrift是源自于thrift古早的意思,也就是prosperity(富裕、繁荣),而非节俭,因此花光自己财产的人(spend one’s prosperity),便是指败家子啰!
Friends are all envious of John’s income, but he is a spendthrift who always finds ways to blow his money on unnecessary purchases.
朋友们都羡慕约翰的收入,但他是个挥霍无度的人,总是想办法把钱花在不必要的购买上。
Helen’s reputation as a tightwad is well-known among her friends, who often tease her for being overly frugal and refusing to spend money on anything that isn’t essential.
海伦吝啬鬼的名声在朋友圈中众所皆知,他们常取笑她过于节俭,拒绝花钱在非必需品上。